Iron Rank Over Time

History

The Kansas City Chiefs are a member of the American Football Conference in the NFL. The franchise began play as the Dallas Texans, which were one of six original franchises in the American Football League which began play in 1960. The Texans won the 1962 AFL Championship and were then relocated to Kansas City following the 1963 season. Team owner Lamar Hunt felt that the Dallas market could not support two football teams and he no longer wanted to compete with the Cowboys of the NFL.

The franchise was renamed the Kansas City Chiefs which was a popular name in a fan team-naming contest. It was also the nickname of the city’s mayor at the time. The Chiefs began playing their home games at Memorial Stadium which they shared with baseball’s Kansas City Royals. In 1972, the Truman Sports Complex was opened which featured Kauffman Stadium which would be the Royals' new home, and Arrowhead Stadium as the Chiefs new home. The Chiefs have played their home games at Arrowhead ever since.

In addition to their 1962 AFL Championship, the Chiefs won the 1966 AFL title and played in the first ever AFL/NFL World Championship which was later renamed the Super Bowl. While the Chiefs lost that game, they went on to win the last ever AFL Championship in 1969 and win the Super Bowl that same year. This was the last year prior to the AFL and NFL merging into one league in 1970. The three AFL Championships for the Chiefs are the most of any franchise that played in the original AFL. However, the club has not been able to win another Super Bowl since the 1969 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Chiefs have had many star players during their history. Len Dawson emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the AFL during the 1960’s, winning four straight passing titles. During the mid-1990’s, the Chiefs featured star pass rushers Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith, giving them a crushing defensive presence. In 1994, quarterback Joe Montana joined the team after a legendary career in San Francisco. While the club was highly competitive during this time, a championship has still eluded the franchise since joining the NFL.